A mechanical sound, one that I had heard before, or rather, recently, echoed from an unknown source. There was no mistaking it. This was the sound of a Holy Stake moving. Now, it was resonating throughout the surroundings, almost alarmingly, like an emergency siren. No, it wasn’t just the sound, but also the presence being scattered with it – what was this? It seemed similar to the one I faced at Trisen, that of Demon King Zel…
“This… could it be…”
“Kelvum, do you know something?”
“…This sound is likely due to the great migration of the Holy Stakes, which occurs when souls suitable as sacrifices have been gathered.”
“Ah, so it was the sound of the Holy Stakes, but wait. All of them? All six Holy Stakes!? It would be one thing if it were only the Holy Stakes managed by the Ten Authorities, but we have hidden Holy Stakes here too, you know? Principal Art should be on house-sitting duty there, and it’s not like he would move on his own accord –”
“– Older Brother, it’s an emergency! The Holy Stake we came on is moving on its own! Principal Art is gone too, and I can’t contact him!”
“What…!”
What a coincidence. Shutra’s telepathic message confirmed that the Holy Stakes were indeed moving. Besides, where did the Principal go…!
“…I confirmed it via telepathy. It seems to be really moving.”
“A contact from an ally? So, Kelvin. In the battles elsewhere, how many were killed, including both friend and foe?”
“Killed? Um, on the side of the Ten Authorities, there were Hao and Hazama, and on our side in the same battle… Glostina apparently died.”
“Gross… You mean her? I see, she was indeed a suitable vessel. However, *huff*… You seem quite calm, Kelvin? No, I should say that’s to be expected. Dying in a battle fought for pride is by no means shameful. Rather, it is a glorious feat to be celebrated. You understand that well–”
“– Hey, this is an emergency, get to the point quickly. We promised to discuss future matters thoroughly, right?”
“Hmm. Ah, my apologies. Indeed, you are correct. I got carried away and ended up saying unnecessary things, it seems.”
“…?”
What is it? Shutra’s powers seem to be working, but Kelvum’s condition is strange. He should have been on alert for his surroundings like me, but now he seems strangely exhilarated. I recall him mentioning sacrifices and souls earlier.
“…I see. With Eld’s death just now, souls have been offered to all six Holy Stakes. As sacrifices for the revival of Evil God Adams.”
“Exactly. The Holy Stakes have judged those souls as suitable for sacrifice. I didn’t know this either, but it seems the Holy Stakes have a function to retrieve souls regardless of distance, and furthermore, they are programmed to automatically proceed with the ritual afterward.”
In other words, the ritual to revive the Evil God has already begun. Until now, this world has periodically drawn out the power of the Evil God sealed in the planet’s core, preventing it from accumulating. That drawn-out power should have been the source of the Demon Kings. The presence similar to a Demon King that began to drift around was likely due to that. *Sigh*… Even before resurrection, my strong enemy sensor is already reacting this much. Evil God Adams, just how strong is he?
“Baldog, you only told Eld about this, didn’t you? That utter fool… But, well done!”
“………”
The revival of Evil God Adams was one of Kelvum’s great objectives. That’s why he’s so delighted, I guess. Hmm, wait a minute?
“…I see. Is this what he meant by ‘it’s my turn next’?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
“Those were Eld’s words during the battle earlier. I thought he meant he had gained the ‘魁伟’ Authority and was declaring it was his turn next… Gaining an Authority, he confirmed the deaths of Hao and Hazama, and thought, ‘Well then, the remaining soul sacrifice slot can be filled by me!’ right?”
“What!? Did Eld intentionally lose to us then!?”
“The battle continued after that, so I can’t say for sure… But even setting aside this match, whether it’s enemies, allies, or himself, didn’t Eld care who died where? The Holy Stake’s soul retrieval function is more capable than I imagined, isn’t it?”
“So that’s why he took a strategy from the start that would treat our comrades as disposable pawns? He wasn’t interested in the outcome of his comrades’ battles from the beginning…!?”
“Well, I imagine it’s within the scope of not arousing suspicion from his allies, with at least *some* kind of justification. Even for the sake of reviving the Evil God, there aren’t many among the Ten Authorities who would offer their own lives, are there?”
“There’s no way there would be! At least, I wouldn’t let my comrades die, and Hazama doesn’t have that kind of self-sacrificing spirit! The others probably wouldn’t rush to die either! No, more importantly. Walking the path of suicide intentionally is absolutely unforgivable. As the ‘God of Death,’ I absolutely will not forgive it. Especially when it comes to the lives of my comrades… Damn it, Eld! You’ve committed the greatest of sins!”
Though our goals are the same, Kelvum’s and Eld’s opinions always clashed. Kelvum, like me, is probably not a person who could be called good. However, he doesn’t like belittling the lives of his comrades. Perhaps that is the biggest difference between him and Eld, who stops at nothing to achieve his goals.
“Eld’s goal is the revival of Adams, and that is paramount. If there is only one remaining sacrifice, it’s more likely he thought dying himself would be more certain than defeating us. If he were defeated and sealed, he wouldn’t be able to be a sacrifice, let alone his opponent. Well, honestly, I don’t care about Eld’s true intentions anymore. Various things have happened, but the conditions for Adams’s revival have been met. That’s all that matters. Kelvum, what phenomenon will occur next?”
“Haa, haa…! Ah, if that’s the case–”
Though breathing heavily from anger, Kelvum began to explain the upcoming developments. However, the continuation of his words was spoken by an entirely different voice.
“–The six Holy Stakes, having completed their movement to the designated points, will commence their penetration into the ground from there.”
” “Guuh!?” ”
Startled by the voice that sounded perfectly natural, yet so sudden, I and Kelvum leaped back from our spots. At first, the voice seemed to come from directly below us, around where Eld had fallen. Naturally, we tried to shift our gaze in that direction. However, before we could even move our eyes, the voice had already reached our ears. It did so without either of us, who had our backs to each other, noticing.
“When each Holy Stake reaches near the planet’s core, they will further convert the souls of the sacrifices into special energy and inject it into Adams. With the replenished power and his own will restored, Adams will slowly awaken and descend into this world from the depths of the earth.”
In the place where we had stood just moments before was Eld, with a gaping hole in his abdomen. But that was Eld’s body, not Eld himself. Ah, I can tell. What’s more, I can understand it. Seeing the owner of the voice, we were both surprised and, at the same time, overjoyed.
“That’s the official scenario. Well, in reality, it doesn’t involve such elaborate measures and finishes in a short amount of time. Ah, that’s right. My apologies for the lack of introduction. I am Adams, just Adams. This is a good world, I like it.”
